What is benzocaine?
What is benzocaine?
The active ingredient used in all of our anaesthetic throat spray range is benzocaine. It helps to soothe the pain of a sore throat, so you can get on with your day in comfort.
But what actually is benzocaine and how does it work?
Keep reading to learn more.
What is benzocaine used for?
Benzocaine is one of a few medicines known as local anaesthetics. This means they block sensations in small areas around where they’re applied, which is why they’re called local anaesthetics.
Local anaesthetics primarily relieve pain, but they can also block other sensations in the affected area. For example, if you’ve just applied the local anaesthetic, you might not feel the pressure of your toothbrush when brushing.
However, local anaesthetics can make it easy to accidentally bite your tongue or cheek, so it’s best not to eat or drink until the anaesthetic wears off. When using throat sprays, it can be a great choice to use benzocaine immediately before going to bed. As the spray can soothe your sore throat for long enough to let you get to sleep and will have worn off in time for breakfast the next morning.
Local anaesthetics like benzocaine work by blocking the nerves in the affected area. Simply put, the nerves stop sending pain signals to your brain. While the pain still exists, you can’t feel it because your brain doesn’t know it exists. This can be really helpful if you have something like a sore throat that just needs time to heal. It allows you to alleviate the pain, while you wait for your body to fight off the infection causing it. Local anaesthetics typically get to work in a very short time in order to provide relief.[1]
To be clear, benzocaine and other local anaesthetics don’t treat the cause of your sore throat, or other illnesses or injuries. All they do is relieve pain. So if you have a sore throat caused by strep throat, for example, you may still need to visit a pharmacist or GP for treatment to tackle the infection.[1,2]
Can I buy benzocaine over the counter?
If you’re looking for topical pain relief, local anaesthetics are one option to consider. For minor illnesses, you can get local anaesthetics such as lidocaine and benzocaine in sprays, gels and ointments. Pharmacies and supermarkets across the UK often sell them over the counter or under a pharmacist’s supervision.
This type of local anaesthetic should be all you need for a sore throat, so you’re unlikely to need access to prescription-level local anaesthetics. These are usually reserved for serious or chronic pain, such as a long-term nerve condition or if you’re having surgery.
If you’re fighting off a sore throat infection, you can find Ultra Chloraseptic’s range of anaesthetic throat sprays in a wide range of stockists, including pharmacies, high street shops, supermarkets and online retailers.
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